The AMI QT Devotionals from May 15-21 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang, who heads Symphony Church in Boston. Barry, a graduate of Stanford University and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Sunny (an amazing worship leader, chef and math wizard). They are the proud parents of Caleb and Micah.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS FOR TODAY
“Paul’s Ironic Boast”
2 Corinthians 11:24-29
Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
Let’s begin this morning by making sure that we not miss Paul’s main point: he is not trying to inform the Corinthian church about how much he has suffered for the gospel. Rather, he is using ironic rhetoric to demonstrate the absurdity of boasting. In verses 30-33, he will cap this remarkable litany of sufferings with a boast of how he once ran away from potential persecution!
Of course, Paul hopes that this litany of boasts will also shock the Corinthians back to their senses. He is not lying about the ways that he has suffered, and this passage makes sober reading. Who would want to live like this? Recently, I have had the opportunity to talk to some Vietnamese pastors about their experiences in ministry: suffering, persecution, and financial struggles are common themes to their stories. Yet not a single one spoke without smiling. Paul’s use of irony is remarkably multi-layered. Because in the end, Paul knows that all of his sufferings really don’t compare to what he’s been given. There can be joy in suffering. Hebrews 12:2 tells us about the One we follow: “for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross.” There is joy set before us, so let us endure!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we remind ourselves that there is no suffering we can endure that can compare to what we’ve been given because of Your suffering on the cross. Thank You for Your passion for us. We lift up a prayer for persecuted Christians everywhere, that You would protect them if possible, but most of all, that You would show them Your great love and glory. We thank You for their steadfastness and faithfulness. Help us also to be faithful. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Deuteronomy 11
LUNCH BREAK STUDY
Read John 16:20-24: Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Questions to Consider
- What does Jesus say will happen to our sorrow?
- According to Jesus, when will our hearts rejoice?
- How can we face the sorrow and struggles of this life?
Notes
- He tells us that our sorrow will turn to joy! Though in this life, we can expect weeping and lamenting, we know that this sorrow will indeed turn to joy. This is the power of the hope we have in Jesus!
- In v.22 Jesus says—again acknowledging the sorrow we may face in this life—that this present sorrow will turn to joy and our hearts will rejoice when He returns. Jesus’ disciples were not thrilled with the prospect of Jesus leaving them, but He says, “Do not worry – I will come back!” And that same hope is for us as well.
- Ask Jesus for help! V.24 says, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” When we face trials, let us not be scared to bring them to Jesus and ask for His help to persevere. Remember, He is the One who endured and now gives us the strength to endure through Him!
EVENING REFLECTION
If you are currently going through any sort of trial, take this time to ask Jesus for His strength to keep on running. If you are not currently experiencing a trial, pray for someone you know who is, or lift up a prayer for our brothers and sisters being persecuted in other nations.
“There is no such things as a free lunch,” my high school economics teacher loved to tell us. Many of us, over the years, have learned to become skeptical of anyone who will offer to give us something for free. “What’s the catch?” we wonder. The Corinthians, under the influence of “super-apostles,” were wondering why Paul labored as a tent-maker if this message he had was so valuable. If what is being offered is truly valuable, then it ought to cost something to the receiver.
Early in our marriage, Sunny would sometimes forget to wear her wedding ring. One time, she was in a grocery store shopping for groceries, when a good looking man approached her saying, “Excuse me, you look like you know how to cook.” She realized that this was a very sweet but clumsy pick-up line. As she told me this story afterwards, we laughed about the incident. I could laugh because Sunny had given me little reason to actually be jealous. I also sternly told her to wear her wedding ring from that time on!
If you have been following the NBA (National Basketball Association), there has been a notorious character flooding the sports news – Lavar Ball, the father of UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball. He has been making outrageous claims that his son, without being drafted onto a NBA team, is already better than Stephen Curry and Michael Jordan. More recently, BBB (Big Baller Brand), Lavar Ball’s apparel company, released Lonzo’s shoe to be valued at $500. To give readers some context of the situation, only NBA super stars release their own shoes, not undrafted college players. Even when NBA super stars release their shoes, they are at most $300—not $500!
If you have ever run a race at a track meet, you know that you are confined to your lane, which means you are not allowed to step outside of the lane assigned to you. If you do, you get disqualified. These lanes are there to keep you from hindering other people from running their race as well as to keep you safe.
Tennis has always been a large part of my life. I started learning how to play when I was 7 years old and spent majority of my time training for tournaments. I became obsessed with the game and would spend hours watching professionals play. One thing I noticed is that professionals in the top 30 are equal in skill: they all can hit serves at amazing speeds, have great footwork, and their forehand and backhand are fluid. However, what separates the top 5 from the rest is—their mental game. The reason why Roger Federer was able to hold his no. 1 position for years was because he had a strong mental game. Yes, he would get frustrated, but losing a game wouldn’t hinder him from finding a solution to beat his opponent. At the core of it, tennis is a mental game.
In my family, gifts have always been an essential part of a celebration; whether it be Christmas, birthdays, or anniversaries, my wife and I make sure to put lots of thought into what kind of gifts we get each other. However, between the two of us, my wife is much better at choosing gifts; she can figure out what I like and do not like, without making it very obvious that she is asking. Since we have been dating, I’ve never been disappointed in the gifts she has given me—I can’t say the same for her.
The AMI QT Devotionals from May 8-14 are provided by Emerson Lin. Emerson, a graduate of University of California, San Diego, serves as a staff at Kairos Christian Church, while studying at Talbot School of Theology. He is married to Annie.
In the 1984, my father immigrated to the United States from Taiwan with my mother, to study Computer Engineering at San Jose States University—he wanted a better life for his wife and his future children. So when my father became a United States citizen in 1985, he had to give up his Taiwanese citizenship. He explained to me that while becoming a citizen had its benefits, it was also very complicated: he had to learn everything that came with becoming a citizen such as jury duty, taxes, and different business policies. Additionally, he had to adhere to the laws and rules that came with becoming a new citizen.
Last week, a deacon and I went to East Asia to serve at a retreat. Since we arrived a few days earlier, we were able to spend time with the local church leaders. During lunch time, we met with a group of leaders to hear how God was working in the church—it was a time of laughter and encouragement. But once the bill arrived at our table, we started to bicker back and forth over the bill, and each time, the church leaders would tell me, “Just accept love.” While I was frustrated with not “winning,” I was incredibly encouraged to see how eagerly they wanted to bless us with their finances.
In science, there is a process called a positive feedback loop in which a change from the normal range of function elicits a response that amplifies or enhances that change. An example is a cattle stampede. Once panic causes some cattle to start running, other cattle will find this frightening and start to run, until the general level of panic and the number of cattle running reaches its peak.